HASBRO! Justice League figures at Toy Fair!

[JustJack]

Word on the net is that Hasbro has released a list of items that will be featured at Toy Fair. I haven't seen an actual list yet, but from what I've heard, it sounds pretty legit. ANYWAY!

Apparently, Toy Fair 2002, Hasbro has 2 waves of JL Action figures, and a series of Vehicles(OH BOY!). Hasbro usually releases a huge Toy Fair preview, about 1 month before Toy Fair(You gotta love Hasbro for that), so perhaps we'll see the concept art, or actual proto-types VERY SOON!! YEAH! And they SHOULD all be brand new sculpts(I can't wait for my big-eared Batman, with 6-pack! ;) )

[Heehaw]

Yeah, I read that too. I reported to Dick Grayson and somewhere else on this board. The fact that they are all new sculpts is cool. Hopefully the vehicles will be nice and not the usual made up garbage that Hasbro churns out.

[Tim Drake]

Has this been confirmed or is it just a rumor?? If this is true I'm very excited.

[James Harvey]

I'm trying to get in touchw ith Hasbro if I can to confirm these. I'm hoping to at leats get pictures of these, but I think I can confirm this. Aside from my pal Heehaw, I got another email saying that Hasbro is doing JL figures

[Karkull]

I think that it's a pretty safe bet, considering that we were going to get the official word at Toy Fair 2002 anyway.

I expected new sculpts, but I'm relieved to hear it anyway. If we're going to have previews of two waves and vehicle[s], I think it's a safe bet (?) to say that we'll see the whole Justice League, one or two villains [Joker being one of them], and the Javelin-7.

Oh boy, can't wait...

[Batman 80]

This is great news!! Time to start saving money now! 2002 should be a great year for the JL animated!

[CarterHall]

TOYS!TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS!TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! TOYS!

[Batman 80]

I bet a Manhunter will be one of the villains. I can't wait to see Mongul and Solomon Grundy's figures whenever they make them.

[The Flash]

Vehicles? The other one is probably the Batwing....which would be great if done right. .......just don't pull another Batman Beyond toy line, Hasbro. I won't be happy until I see picture w/ coorect sculpts.

[JustJack]

Yeah, we don't want any figures with muscle detail that doesn't exist! And remember, none of our heroes are transucent...well..maybe MM...but that particular figure BETTER be a variant!

Haha! Don't worry, I'm feeling very confident, after the BB Fiasco, I doubt Hasbro will do anything stupid.

Hmm...wouldn't it be weird if Hasbro actually gave the figures good articulation? Wow...hmm..I'm gona start praying right now! ;)

[The Flash]

Originally posted by JustJack
Haha! Don't worry, I'm feeling very confident, after the BB Fiasco, I doubt Hasbro will do anything stupid.


http://community.sierra.com/Images/emoticons/hrmph.gif I wish I felt the same way......but I don't. I just don't trust them. :D I think there is some hope however. I'd be happy if they did it right for a change, but I just get the feeling they'll screw up on something. If they prove me wrong I'll be damn happy!! :D

[Batman 80]

I think Hasbro learned their lesson after they saw that their BB line was disappointing to many people. I wonder if their going to make the watch tower. One of the vehicles could be the spaceships from In Blackest Night.

[kid_flash]

Hasbro understands few things. One of those things is money. It's no big secret that Batman Beyond didn't make a ton of money as a toy line, and I think this time they actually figured out that it was because of the figures and not the fact that it was Batman.

New sculpts? Two waves planned? Revelation at Toy Fair? Looking forward to it.

[Nass]

Id be happy if its handled like the Super Powers line, and I think it will. The bb line focused on batman because he was the star, now theres a show about all these heroes with a very strong following immediately, more so than BB had. Hasbro has some cool figures on the way, of all the stars.

[Harvey Dent]

Does this mean Hasbro's going to use plastic capes for Supes, Bats, and MM, or are they going to go the traditional route and bring back the cloth capes? I always hated those plastic knock-offs, and I really hope to never see them again.

[Heehaw]

Aside from my pal Heehaw,

After all the commotion I cause on here with my opposing views, I still get called pal. I can just feel the love.... :o :rolleyes: which reminds me of my all time favorite line from the last JL episode:

GL: "You did it!"
Batman: "No, WE did it." - or whatever was said, like Bats would say something like that, anyway ;)

I can't wait for the purple Martian Manhunter. They can call him Purple People Eatin' Jonn

[James Harvey]

Feel the love - LOL! I can't wait to see what figures will be unveiled. I bet a Javelin - 7 is a safe bet, and maybe the Batwing since it's had almost the same amount of appearances. Are there any other vehicles?

[JustJack]

I believe the report DID say multiple vehicles? So, perhaps we will see both the Javelin & the batwing.

Here's my question, how many figured will be availible per-wave? How many is Hasbro accustomed to? 4? 5? 6?

I'm guessing each wave will be 5? None of this is for sure, I'm just doing a little math. That means, 2 waves=10 figures? 7 lead characters? 2 girls, & 5 guys. Plus, bajillions of villians.
IF its 2 waves of 5, that means we can probably expect one girl per-wave. hopefully, there isn't enough room for variants, yet. And, this is only my guess, because of character popularity...

Wave 1-Supes, Bats, Matrian, WW, & MAYBE a villian. Thats 5! I can count!
Wave 2-Flash, Greens, Hawkey, most likely a variant of either Bats or Supes, & a villian. BUT, I would hope we could get to see 2 villians instead of a variant.

Those are just my guessed. And I wouldn't be suprized if they released both Waves at the same time.

BUT, what if they released all 7 main characters, in one wave? Sure, that'd be REALLY weird, but...its Hasbro..they're messed up in the first place.
That means, we'd get a second wave, of 7 figures, probably variants for Supes, Bats, & one of the other guys, & a couple villians?

This is all speculation. Just my edumicated guess! :p ;)

[Trent Lane]

As long as I get a Batman, Batwing, and Martian Manhunter, I'll be happy.... man, I try to get away from these toys but they keep making too much cool stuff....

[Karkull]

I've got my fingers crossed...maybe we need a wish list thread.

[superfriend]

Originally posted by JustJack
Word on the net is that Hasbro has released a list of items that will be featured at Toy Fair...Hasbro usually releases a huge Toy Fair preview, about 1 month before Toy Fair

Hold the Phone!

1) I spent 5+ years workign at Hasbro and when I left RTM asked me to be a correspondent. The first time i called Hasbro and announced my official capacity, my regular informants (friends who still worked there) clammed up and told me to contact official channels. Then I got nothing out of them.

Hasbro is notorious;y tight lipped about anything they make. A Toy Fair Preview? Not in my day. Maybe you are thinking of the pictures made available after the Hasbro Summer Event called "Pre Toy Fair" held in August whcih usually produces pictures in October. The sales force does send these out to news groups on request. I was able to get those.

But February is a the BIG event, and they do save surprizes for it.

2) The other thing that we need to cool our collective jets about is Hasbro having the license at all. No one has yet to come forth with a convincing report that Hasbro actually does have the license. I have yet to see one. I have called Hasbro personally and asked and gotten nowhere.

A lot of people would LIKE Hasbro to do it in hopes the new figures would be compatable with the existing ones from BTAS and STAS. That is how the HAsbro rumor got started. But hope is no guarantee. DCDirect, X-Men and Spawn figures are taller. Hasbro tried this size with Star Warsd and Planet of the Apes. They are not restricted to the old BTAS scale or style.

3) Character selection and duplication. We all know Batman sells. And he sells better than Superman. I think you have to expect at least 1 or even 2 versions of Batman in every wave. Hasbro has to convince the buyers for the stores (TRU, Walmart, Kmart, Target, KB, etc) that they can sell the line to customers. Remember, rabid adult cartoon fans and toy collectors are a very small segment of the toy buying population. And there are lots of other products to consider putting on those store shelves. Also, JL is great, but only on 3 times a week on 1 cable network. People who do not get cable or CN don't even know about the show.

Batman IS well known. He has past proven sales records. Including him (and his batplane) will help assure the buyers that the line will sell.

[kid_flash]

Well, that brings down the mood. Lemme give this a shot:

1) Hasbro does not neccessarily clam up. I've read a TON of reports from regular Joes who know guys on the inside and get information that turns out to be true. Just depends on the person, I guess, some will open up more than others.

2) True enough, but I've heard from a lotta people here who have reliable sources that say Hasbro's got the license. Forget "official announcements," reports are good enough for me if I know the source.

3) Yeah, Batman sells, but they could make this the way of the JLA line: A Batman in every line, along with some other figures. That line could've done really well, except for two things: A) It was based off a comic book series, and B) It was only in one store. The JL line A) Is based off an enormously popular cartoon series, and B) Will most likely be released in many stores.

Also, shows don't just sell the toys. If there's a new Batman or Superman figure out there, a kid'll want it. If they notice Batman and Superman's friends are on the same shelf, they figure that's cool, along with a couple of villains. Also, a TON of people who can't watch the show have heard about it, and will want the toys.

[Karkull]

I would think that they'd have to beef up John Stewart's role in the toy line for a simple reason: he's the first major black character on the cartoon (there was Steel, but the line was already dead before they could release him). If they bury Stewart under a pile of Batman variants the NAACP (or some other group) could go after them and cry discrimination.

Likewise, women's rights groups could be equally mad if Wonder Woman, the icon and first superheroine, doesn't get made.

[JustJack]

Originally posted by superfriend

Hasbro is notorious;y tight lipped about anything they make. A Toy Fair Preview? Not in my day. Maybe you are thinking of the pictures made available after the Hasbro Summer Event called "Pre Toy Fair" held in August whcih usually produces pictures in October. The sales force does send these out to news groups on request. I was able to get those.

But February is a the BIG event, and they do save surprizes for it.


HASBRO is tight lipped, NOT their employee's! haha. Many of us here can probably recall various occasions where Hasbro Employee's have stated "this is coming out here", & they've been true.
Second of all...I don't know where you've been? For the past about..3 years? Hasbro has released very lengthy & fine Toy Fair previews to various websites(RTM, aftimes, etc.), about 1 month before toyfair! And these previews usually contain prototypes, & concept art.
Heck, last year, Hasbro posted the pictures up on their own website! Which is good to know, because I never thought they updated that site...


Originally posted by superfriend

2) The other thing that we need to cool our collective jets about is Hasbro having the license at all. No one has yet to come forth with a convincing report that Hasbro actually does have the license. I have yet to see one. I have called Hasbro personally and asked and gotten nowhere.


True, but right now, I'm trusting the many Hasbro employee's of whom are coming forth on it. Or maybe I'm just too trusting? either way...

Oh, BTW, for any Men In Black fans? Hasbro has the license to MiB2(Coming out THIS JULY!), and let us all pray to God that they don't ruin it like they did POTA. All I ask for is ARTICULATION!!!!! POTA was about monkey's! They NEED articulation! And they didn't deliver...*sigh*...oh well.

[superfriend]

Originally posted by JustJack


True, but right now, I'm trusting the many Hasbro employee's of whom are coming forth on it. Or maybe I'm just too trusting? either way...



I left Hasbro in Nov 97. I was one of the people getting preview info for RTM the following year. But it turned out the stuff they would send me was promo for stuff already reported in magazines.

Unfortunately, there are fewer of those employees every year it seems as we go our separate ways and the layoffs continue...

[Blade1225]

i for one don't want these figures to be like the batman or superman line
instead i want them to be more like the Total Justice line which was a great example of what a DC toy line should be like
No "aqua-freeze green lanturn" or "Ultra-violet Flash" or "Night Attack Wonder Women"
just representations of the character with nice and appropriate armor and weapons for the most part

[DisneyBoy]

Since the Hasbro B: TAS an TNBA scultps have been generally perfect, I only worry about the size of the figures. With GI JOE's, Barbie's and other dolls towering over all other figures, I'm becoming worried that whoever gets the licence will go the way of DC Direct and super-size them. In the toy world, size does count!

[Karkull]

The Justice League figures should be small. There's not enough detail to justify making them bigger. They'd look stupid.

[Blade1225]

then make them bigger with detail
small figures that are out of porportion like BTAS and superman are just stupid
TOTAL JUSTICE on the other hand is very well done, it's a great example of what action figures of superheros should be like

[kid_flash]

If Hasbro releases the JL figures with comic book molds, I'm gonna cry. I love the animated line. They have their share of crap, but there are a lot of well-done figures out there.

[Batman 80]

The animated line is the way to go. If they don't take that route then the line will end up like the Batman Beyond line. And nobody wants that, I know I don't.

[superfriend]

While some of us liked Total Justice/JLA, many at RTM and the DCDirect site vehemently hated them. "Too preposed. Too muscular. Only looks good in one pose. Not enough articulation. Crappy unnecessary accessories." and the complaints went on. I for one was just glad to get heroes beyond the Bat universe for the first time since 1990 (Toy Biz's DC SuperHeroes).

The real thing that bugs me today is that ALL toy companies are trying to pass these statues off as action figures. Check out HeMan or the SuperPowers to see "Figures with Actions!"

Personally, I gave up on the mass market (Hasbro, ToyBiz, Mattel, Playmates, etc) making figures of heroes I still wanted, swallowed the bullet and started paying the prices for DCDirect figures. 15$ vs. 5$. Ouch. But their stuff IS well made and they do make a GREAT variety of characters.

[Karkull]

Originally posted by Blade1225
then make them bigger with detail
small figures that are out of porportion like BTAS and superman are just stupid

But then they wouldn't look like the simplified designs used on the show. They need to look like the show.

And the Total Justice line was out of proportion. The animated figures look more realistic to me.

[Bird Boy]

I honestly think McFarlane should take over any and all Batman licenses...why? They could make them look great.

If you've seen their Anime line, you know they can do animated stuff..

Also, have you guys seen Toy Biz's work on the X-Men:Evolution line? Those are some fine figures right there. Juggernaut is huge and looks exactly like he does on the show...

But, unless you're a Star Wars collector, Hasbro isn't going to listen to you. It's just the way they are. Maybe if Batman was more popular..but right now, Hasbro probably owns 80% of all Star Wars licensing (they recently took over the CCG and Fan Club), and you can bet they will focus on that more than they will on the Justice League...unless a JL movie is announced that is..

-BB

[Nass]

Then lets announce one. :D